When lawyer Babar Sattar’s article was pulled out of the same newspaper, he tweeted it using the hashtag #TheAgeOfFreelyControlledMedia. Stories published in the newspaper have been deleted from its web edition.

While the press is no stranger to censorship in a country that has experienced decades under military dictatorship, today, divisions among the media have weakened its ability to resist undemocratic pressure.

This year, on World Press Freedom Day, the global call to protect independent journalism from attacks and ensure the prosecution of crimes against journalists coincides with a decline of media freedoms in Pakistan — that too, significantly, on the eve of a general election.

In a new report, media rights watchdog, Freedom Network (FN) has recorded more than 157 attacks on journalists between May 2017 and April 2018, 55 of them occurring in Islamabad alone.

While threats from militants have significantly reduced, the federal capital has emerged as the most dangerous place for journalists. In its stead, state agencies are posing serious threats.

Critical opinions in nascent democracies like ours are persecuted because of weak institutions, limited legal frameworks and lack of political will, which are all antithetical to a free media.

Nonetheless, the consequences for the media remain the same: self-censorship. “[There] is pressure from the right, left and centre. I cannot write according to my own will. How can I be responsible if I am told what to write?” a former secretary general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists explained.

Defining red lines

In the current climate, columnists have said they were asked not to write on ‘sensitive’ subjects. Coverage of the rights-based Pashtun Tahafuz Movement is one such issue.

Talat Aslam, editor at The News International, explains why: “We were told to lie low on reporting about it since it blows apart a huge part of the [security establishment’s] narrative. For years, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas were under a complete media blackout, we only received Inter-Services Public Relations statements about the numbers of militants killed. For the first time, we are hearing from its leaders about issues we have never spoken about. It was when the rhetoric was perceived as being anti-army, and when intervention of Kabul was suspected, that the blackout was ordered.”

In the run-up to the general election, can the media resist increasingly complex curbs on press freedom?

For tribal journalists, they know only too well to stay on the right side of the military, said Rasool Dawar, a reporter from North Waziristan. For him, pushback against the press embargo by young Pakhtun activists on social media has not trickled down to him being able to write on similar issues, such as enforced disappearances.

Cable operators claim they were instructed on what channels to bury down the lineup order or even remove.

Many journalists and editors said they either receive ‘directives’ on what news to spike, or are self-censoring content, fearing a similar reprisal.

Senior journalist Naseem Zehra viewed this as a reflection of the military establishment’s insecurity.

“Any kind of censorship has to be condemned. There are no ifs and buts. The media must wrestle space that it has legitimately earned.”

Censoring any criticism of the military and suppressing any perceived bias towards the PML-N — including media coverage of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s anti-judiciary speeches after his disqualification — are prerequisites for staying in business.

“I can’t remember it being so bad. There was pressure during the Zia-Junejo period, but now it’s more brazen and authoritarian. Based on what happened in the Senate election and Khawaja Asif’s disqualification, what kind of election are we going into?” Mr Aslam asked.

Senior journalist Hamid Mir believes, “Geo should take an editorial position, but not become Sharif’s lawyer.”

He explained the latest phase of censorship is not unheard of for journalists, who have always faced uncertainty and fear.

“It was worse in 2015, when journalists were killed. But, today, we have to pre-record our once live programmes, and articles are made to disappear.”

A divided media

There has been little reaction to such oppressive directives from opposition parties and certain media outlets.

According to PTI leader Asad Umar, the party has a “reasonable relationship with the electronic media. It is not particularly acrimonious. No political party can pressure the media but governments can and they do.”

Asked why his party had not spoken against media blackouts, he said: “The biggest threat to media freedoms is the use of money [to influence the press] by the sitting government.”

Recall when former president General Pervez Musharraf cracked down on private TV channels in 2007, political parties and editors alike rallied against the move.

This time round, none of the opposition parties have protested against this high-handedness. Moreover, increased infighting between certain media groups has atomised the industry.

The mainstream narrative in Pakistan about its press is that it is out of control, so when a media house is being asphyxiated and censorship ‘directives’ are followed by many media groups, it is not perceived as a damage to freedom of expression — even by sections of the media itself.

Comments (12) Closed

ShazadMay 03, 2018 09:16am

Let see if you allow freedom of speech by publishing truth: That is, Pakistan never allowed freedom of speech until Musharraf allowed this freedom in 2002. Musharraf did not only allowed this freedom, he also gave licences to hundreds of media outlets. Before Musharraf, we had only government controlled TV channel, radio stations and strongly controlled few private newspapers and magazines.

Musharraf was only person in Pakistan history who believed on freedom of press. He also used to come on TV interviews answering all questioned asked and his interviews were shown live on TVs uncut and without censorship.

Unfortunately, media houses and TV personalities (many got recognized and earned millions due to Musharraf policy), once established, started doing propaganda full of lies against Musharraf for handful of dollars from corrupt politicians. Now, they have to suffer and blame themselves as corrupt politicians and bureaucrats want return of Pre-2002 press era.

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AlbaMay 03, 2018 09:34am

If you want press freedom break up the Sharif monopoly.

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AlbaMay 03, 2018 10:39am

Can the Pakistani media resist increasingly complex curbs on press freedom? _ Only if the media understands how to use satire to advantage and Pakistanis can develop a sense of humour.

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UFOMay 03, 2018 11:45am

Pakistan has perhaps the most uncontrolled and unregulated media in the entire solar system.

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WahabMay 03, 2018 11:51am

That picture tells the whole story! Sad state of affairs.

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TaimurMay 03, 2018 12:14pm

And still many say Musharaf was a bad guy. He is the one who gave freedom to media especially the electronic media otherwise everybody would have been watching PTV Khabarnama. The so called politicians always tried to control media

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harrisMay 03, 2018 12:25pm

support govt on this

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Mr.TMay 03, 2018 12:37pm

The real untouchables are to be touchable very soon...

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krishnanMay 03, 2018 02:58pm

keep it up.

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SameerMay 03, 2018 04:08pm

ISPR propaganda is strong. Good luck to media fighting back for freedom.

Since 1947 they have been brainwashing awam and they will continue to. It will get a lot worst before it gets better.